Swap laying tiles for shopping – Zwopr provides neighborhood assistance via a smartphone app. For assistance rendered, users receive a credit on their time account, which they can exchange for support for other users. No money is involved. In an interview, the founders of Zwopr explain exactly how their app works and what they want to achieve with Zwopr.
Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Zwopr: We are Bernhard and Christian, 38 and 51 years old, and the founders of Zwopr. With Tassilo (38), we have another founding partner in our Berlin branch. We have been best friends for over 20 years. For six years, we have been organizing a charity event in support of children's cancer charities. We noticed that it is often incredibly difficult to ask someone for help – either because it is simply uncomfortable to ask, or because you don't even know who can provide what kind of help. Although the willingness to help one another or one's neighbors is deeply rooted in us, it is often simply not "available." We wanted to change that – the idea of Zwopr was born.
Zwopr is “a kind of digital exchange ring”
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Zwopr: What good is the greatest willingness to help if it can't be put into action? With Zwopr, we provide the answer to this question. We organize neighborhood assistance online – simple, fast, and free of charge. You simply go to www.zwopr.com or downloads the App Download it, register, and specify in your profile what you need help with and how you can help others. You'll automatically receive suggestions. People immediately embraced our concept.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Zwopr: We don't see ourselves as a traditional neighborhood portal; we're not about leisure tips, but about mutual help. Like a kind of digital bartering ring. Hence the name, which is derived from the English word "swop," which means to exchange. The principle is incredibly simple: the focus is on mutual help, which is remunerated not with money, but with time. Each user has a time account. Anyone who helps a neighbor for an hour by assembling a shelf, sharing their expertise in the chat, or walking the dog is credited with time, which they can then exchange for help. In most cases, people get help from other members via Zwopr. In some cases, however, it also comes from organizations. In return, they donate a small amount to a good cause.
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Zwopr: There aren't three yet. But we've only been around for two years. The peak of the coronavirus crisis was extremely challenging for us. We grew extremely quickly during this time; the number of daily registrations increased tenfold. People were mainly asking for help with shopping or childcare. Helping hands for pets were also in demand. In Berlin, we set up a helpline with the German Red Cross within a few days. We worked on the platform during the day, flew to the capital in the evening, trained the DRK employees the next morning, answered questions from a local radio station, and then headed straight back to Munich. That was intense!
“Active startup community that unleashes enormous creative energy”
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Zwopr: We're on a growth trajectory and want to maintain the pace of the past few months. To achieve this, we're looking for IT specialists and a CTO as co-founder. At the same time, we're in discussions with investors and cooperation partners. Retailers, such as hardware stores, as well as aid organizations and municipalities, are all potential partners. Within a year, we want to have brought these partnerships to life. And in five years, we envision Zwopr as a trusted tool for everyone in Germany and Europe when it comes to smart help and receiving help.
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Zwopr: Great! Especially in eastern Munich, an active startup community has emerged in recent years, unleashing tremendous creative energy in the Werksviertel district. We're now part of it and based at Werk1, which, as the building describes itself, is "Munich's most startup-friendly place." We wholeheartedly agree and are incredibly excited to benefit from this spirit.
Munich Startup: Skype or in person?
Zwopr: We love our immediate neighborhood and the personal, direct interaction with our fellow human beings. Skype and other social media platforms certainly have their place, and have become an integral part of our everyday lives. For example, it makes communicating with our friend and partner Tassilo in Berlin much easier.
